Richard E. Griffin, Sr.
...educator, former Principal, and Veteran; 77
Tewksbury – Richard E. Griffin, Sr., age 77, the former principal of the Tewksbury
Junior High School, died Tuesday evening, August 29, 2006, at the Academy Manor
Skilled Care Center in Andover, following a brief illness. He is survived by his beloved
wife of 48 years, Patricia (Griffin) Griffin.
Mr. Griffin was born in Lawrence, on May 24, 1929, the son of Edward and Eugenie
(Beaudoin)(Damphousse) Griffin. He was raised in Lawrence, and graduated from
Central Catholic High School. He matriculated to Villanova University where he earned
a Bachelor’s degree. He later attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome,
Italy, and received his Master’s degree from Boston University. He had lived in North
Tewksbury for the last 36 years.
During the Korean War, Mr. Griffin served honorably for three years in military
intelligence with the Army’s Security Agency in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
He will be remembered by many colleagues and students as a long time Tewksbury
educator and for his service to Tewksbury schools as a high school teacher, high
school assistant principal and junior high principal from 1956-1994. Upon his
retirement in 1994 from full time employment, he continued for two more years as a part
time computer teacher in the Harvard, Mass., Elementary School. He will also be
remembered as a technology enthusiast from his work as a computer teacher in the
Tewksbury Community Education program, and as the webmaster of the Tewksbury
Public School’s web site for several years. In addition to his professional career
demands, Mr. Griffin was a former elected member of the Shawsheen Valley Regional
School Committee, representing the Town of Tewksbury on that board for 21 years.
He is a former member of the Tewksbury Teachers’ Association, and was a founding
member of the Tewksbury Administrators Group. He held memberships in many other
professional organizations during his long career, including the Retired Educators
Associations of Massachusetts.
Besides his wife Patricia, he leaves a son, Richard E. Griffin, Jr. of Tewksbury, two
daughters, Karen Mack and her husband Daniel Mack of Hudson, NH, Kathleen Brady,
MD and her husband, William Brady, MD of Philadelphia, PA.; a brother and sister-in-
law, James E. Griffin and his wife Gertrude of Lawrence; 5 grandchildren, Jeffrey,
Sarah, and Kyle Mack, Griffin and Donovan Brady; and many nieces and nephews.
He was also the brother of the late Annette (Damphousse) Blanchette, Roland
Damphousse, Irene (Damphousse) Parent, Raymond Damphousse, Rene
Damphousse, and Gertrude (Damphousse) Taylor.
His Funeral Mass
was celebrated Saturday, Sept. 2, in St. Robert’s Bellarmine Church,
Andover. Burial with Army Honors was in St. Mary’s
Cemetery, No. Tewksbury. Memorial contributions may be made in
his memory to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, OH
44720, or the American Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701-
4688, will be appreciated.